Bonded materials are used in many applications. For example, a slide bearing may be formed from a bonded composition that consists of a metal backing plate and a bearing surface material that is bonded to the plate. The bearing surface material may be a metal composition such as a copper or an aluminum alloy. Slide bearings are linear or rotary in form. Linear slide bearings are in sheet form, whereas rotary slide bearings are in cylindrical or half-cylindrical form. Half-cylindrical slide bearings are used in pairs for applications such as journal bearings in internal combustion engines.
One method of producing slide bearings involves a continuous process line wherein the feedstock for the metal backing plate is a continuous roll of sheet steel. The continuous roll of sheet steel is fed through heat treating furnaces and further conditioned before the bearing surface material is applied to it. Raised edge lips are formed on the longitudinal edges of the continuous sheet and the bearing surface material, in a liquid form, such as a molten copper or aluminum alloy, is poured onto the sheet. The molten alloy solidifies and is bonded to the sheet, and can be quench treated. Subsequent milling controls the thickness of the bearing surface material. The sheet is cut into desired sizes for slide bearing applications. For rotary slide bearings, the cut pieces are further formed into a cylindrical shape. Economically, the process must operate as an uninterrupted line process, since stopping the line and restarting the line involves a substantial effort in repeatedly bringing the line's furnaces to operating temperature. Therefore there exists the need for a method of bonding metals in a batch process for applications such as slide bearings or in a continuous process without liquid or molten form of bearing material.